Winter Stares
by IsuCHAN
Summary: [COMPLETE]Hinata is as shy as can be, or is she...? Something's changing her, Neji can tell. And it's Sasuke Uchiha. Things will fall together. Or will they? SasuHina, Rated M for language, violence, and later content.
1. Chap One: His Cold Words

1Winter Stares

Chap One — His Cold Words

She loved the blinding whiteness of winter. It made her cheeks pink, her eyes bright. She never understood why she liked the winter. Besides the fact that seeing children fight in the snow and couples walking arm and arm, it wasn't all that great. It was cold and there was never anything to do.

For her, though, she was able to get out, be able to get away from her family for a few choice hours, see people that mattered to her. It was a good time for her. A time of smiles and warmth and love.

A gust of wind blasted by and Hinata Hyuga shuddered. She rubbed her hands together from under her gloves to warm them and then wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, so that it covered her chin. She rubbed her chapped lips together and shivered again, continuing to walk.

She was so busy making friction between her hands she barely paid attention where she was going.

"Oof!" She backed away from the person she had bumped into and her white eyes met his black ones. She shivered — not because it was cold. The glare from him made her heart feel icy.

She stuttered out an apology; "I'm so s-sorry, I-I didn't mean to b-bump into y-you er...it-it was just a m-mistake. I am so s-s-so-sorry." she stammered, taking a step back from Uchiha Sasuke, who continued to glare at her.

"Hn." was his reply, before sticking his hands in his coat pocket and walk away.

Hinata frowned. He could've at least SAID something. But all he did was grunt. The frown suddenly turned into a scowl and she had a terrible urge to walk over and slap him. Instead, she shook the feeling away, and continued walking down the street.

She glanced in the Soba shop to see if Naruto was there, and saw he wasn't. Not many people were there, besides Sasuke. She watched him for a moment, and jumped almost six inches when he got up and turned around.

"Sasuke-sama..." she mumbled, bowing quickly. He arched an eyebrow and she felt her cheeks turn pink, realizing he probably wouldn't have noticed her if she hadn't said anything. She looked up at him, glad the blush would just look like her cheeks were cold.

Sasuke wasn't smirking, he just looked slightly confused. "Sama?" he asked, and she frowned, tilting her head. She was being polite she didn't —

"Oh, I'm sorry! Uhh...Sasuke-san. Um..Er...Well...see you around!" she stalled, before turning and darting out of the Soba Shop.

She was stopped though, and turned, surprised. "Oh...Sasuke—" She was cut off by his sharp glare and growl.

"Shut up with the Sasuke-sama and Sasuke-san shit! My name is SASUKE UCHIHA, not Sama not San! Dammit, you were getting on my last fucking nerve with your stupid nervousness. Fuck..."

Hinata's eyes were wide with shock as the boy said those words. She flinched away from his grip but he grabbed her arm, squeezing.

"Ah!" she cried in pain, wincing.

He loosened his grip but didn't say he was sorry. "Dammit, girl, don't run away!" he snapped at her. Hinata's eyes widened even more, and she became more and more scared. What had she done to make him so mad?

"Your name is Hyuga, right? Hinata Hyuga? Your Neji's cousin?"

Hinata nodded. "Y-yes..." she whispered.

"Fuck, you get annoying. Quit stammering like that. No one's ever going to think you're strong if you stutter at everything."

Hinata could feel the anger pouring from him, but even though she felt scared, she also felt mad herself. "You have no right to talk to me like that! I don't understand WHY Sakura-chan and Ino-sama can ACTUALLY like you. You're so cruel!" She didn't stutter a bit.

But Sasuke seemed confused. "You're not one of my crazy fan-girls?" He didn't seem disappointed though. Just surprised.

"Fan-girl? I barely know your name!" she snapped, finally pulling her arm from his. He didn't resist

"Strange. I thought they ALL were." He shrugged. "Oh YEAH I know you! You're Hinata Hyuga from Cell 8. You're the one who's NARUTO'S fan girl. Okay, cool. I get it now. Of course you wouldn't care less about me."

Hinata blushed at being called a Naruto fan-girl. "I'm not a fan-girl. And I'm most definately am not a stalker!" She wanted this made clear.

Sasuke laughed. "Never said you were, Hinata-san. Well...maybe I'll see you some other time." And with that, Sasuke left the Soba Shop, walking in the other direction.

Hinata watched him leave in surprise. "He's...different." she murmured, before continuing to rub her hands together.

b Chap One: End

That was the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed! I uploaded it this morning at 6:50 a.m., so it's probably not done well...umm...Thanks for reading! You guys rock! I luff you. 3 /b


	2. Chap Two: Her Cold Perfection

**This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer, sailorchik. I'm sorry I misspelt you name, if I did. I'm really bad at remember things. xP Anyway...this is the second chapter! Keep on reading! (If I don't get anymore reviews, I'm still gonna continue...I'm cool like that)**

Chap Two — Her Cold Perfection

"Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

She continued to yell this as she kicked the tree. The bruise on the side of the tree was deepening. She smiled at her progress and kicked the tree once more, creating a large dent. "YA!" she cried, punching the tree. Another dent appeared. Panting, hot, even in the frigid weather, she wiped away sweat and plopped herself below a snow covered cherry tree, in a patch of nearly frozen dirt that felt cold against her pants. She lifted her legs so that her knees were closer to her chest and picked up her lunch pack.

She opened it to reveal steaming ramen — the pack was made to keep foods hot even in the coldest weather. She picked up her chopsticks and ate hungrily, filling her cold, empty belly.

Once Hinata was done she packed away the bowl and chopsticks and buried the pack where she had had it last, so that no one would steal it. She decided to explore — no harm in that, right?

Over the winter months, the teams hardly ever trained. There were never any missions that couldn't be handled by beginning genin. The elder's would get sick and they'd have to baby sit or pick up supplies from other villages nearby, but there was never anything that they should use the more experienced genin for.

She blinked and twitched, looking upwards. She could swear she could hear the yelling of someone else training nearby. She frowned and followed the voice. She recognized it vaguely.

Hinata finally came across who had been training. Sasuke Uchiha was thrusting his fist into trees. He punched one and it came falling to the ground. Without thinking, Hinata gasped, hand over mouth.

That wasn't the best move. Sasuke spun around and saw her before she could hide behind the tree. She could feel herself wanting to whimper.

"Come out!" he shouted angrily. She slowly turned her head to rest her white-purple eyes upon his red ones. Wait — RED? His eyes were red, with three extra pupils. She thought she'd cry from fear, but closed her eyes and turned to stare at him.

"Sasuke -sa— Sasuke - kun." she said weakly, glancing up at him nervously. Sasuke arched an eyebrow at her and she blushed like crazy.

"Yeah, thanks. Why're you here, Hinata - san?" he asked her. Hinata lifted her eyes to stare at his, which were back to their original black. She calmed quickly, and felt her heart sink.

"I was training and decided to explore..." she mumbled in reply. When she saw Sasuke's smile, she was shocked.

"Sasuke - kun?" she asked, slightly worried.

" You're not stammering. That's good."

A sudden surge of guilt hit her. Sasuke - kun was a really good guy. He wasn't the same as he had been a few days ago. She smiled at him and replied, "No, I'm not. Thank you." She vaguely wondered why she wasn't stammering. It was easy not to around him, strangely. For a moment, she felt like he was a friend. A friend who she didn't need to stutter around.

"Well, that's good. You smell like pork ramen. Is that what you had for lunch?"

"Heheh. Yeah..." she murmured, her cheekbones flushing just a bit of a darker pink then they usually were when she was in the cold.

"Well...I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't know who you were." Sasuke's voice was so calm is shocked Hinata. She nodded slowly.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have been spying on your in the first place." Hinata bowed quickly and then gulped when Sasuke glared at her a bit.

"There's no need to bow." he said quietly, sighing. "Ugg...I'm tired." He fell onto the snow covered ground. Before Hinata could stop him, he had tugged her down so that she was sitting on his lap.

"Wah!" she cried out in surprise. Hinata fell onto his lap, blinking. She suddenly fell into the snow, and felt the cold go down her back. "Ah!" she yelped again, standing. She stared at Sasuke, who was laughing in the snow, pounding his fists in the ground.

She shuddered. "Wh–you pushed me into the snow." she stated, rubbing her arms. Hinata continued to watch Sasuke as he stood, wiped snow from him, and turned to her.

"You cold?" That familiar smirk was back on his face. When she nodded in response, he walked over to her and wrapped his jacket around her. She stared at him in shock and then wrapped the jacket closer, smiling to herself, closing her eyes.

"Thank you." she murmured, before looking at him. Even though he wasn't shivering, she could tell he was cold. "But...I really shouldn't...it's your jacket. I don't want you to freeze." She slipped off the jacket and gave it back. Sasuke shrugged, took the jacket, and began to walk away.

Hinata slowly shook her head. "He's a very strange boy..." she murmured, hugging herself. "But he's fine. He's nice enough."

**Yes. D That's the end of chapter two. Another short one. I'll try and make them longer! Anyways...Keep reading! **


	3. Chap Three: His Cold Touch

Chap 3 — His Cold Touch

For a few weeks, Hinata didn't see Sasuke and he didn't see her. Hinata figured that Sasuke was at a mission – she hadn't seen him around town for a time. She hadn't

seen Naruto or Sakura either, or even Kakashi-sensei, so the fact that they were on a mission was almost positive from her point.

The Hyuga stared into the sky and glanced at Neji. "Neji-niisan, anything you want to do?" she asked her cousin pleasantly. For a moment, the other white-eyed boy didn't answer.

Then he replied, "A few days ago, I heard something." he said quietly. Hinata glanced at him inquiringly, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"You and Uchiha. Someone spotted you together." Neji said. Hinata blinked, but could tell that it took her cousin everything he had to say this to her face.

"I suppose I can't say it's false information. I agree, we did meet in the forest, but...it wasn't like a 'love tryst' or something." Hinata replied, shrugging. She continued walking, and glanced at Neji, who was following her, though looking a bit upset at that response.

"I trust you, Hinata." Neji began a few minutes ago. "But I'll warn you anyway. Don't get close to Uchiha-san. He'll just end up hurting you."

Hinata was surely surprised at her cousins words, but she decided it was good advice. She nodded, then smiled at him. "So? You never answered my question! What do you want to do?" she asked him for the second time, still smiling.

"I'm going home." was all he said. Hinata watched him walk away in shock, before sighing. Yet again — she was alone. She sighed and looked at the ground, before looking back up into the white sky. It had been snowing for almost a week, but she still loved it. She smiled warmly, walking.

It seems that walking with your eyes closed will make you bump into people. Usually, most people dodge when they see someone walking close-eyed around, but someone was too preoccupied with absolutely nothing to notice.

"Oh!" she cried, opening her eyes and staggering backwards.

"Ack!"

"Oh! Uchiha-sam—Sasuke-kun!" Hinata stammered slightly, looking at the fourteen year old boy. Sasuke blinked his surprise at seeing Hinata. The Hyuga was shocked to see a grin spread across his face.

"Hinata!" he said, he said, smiling pleasantly. She could only stare in amazement, that smile was so different than what she was used to.

"Umm...Hello." she said softly, staring at the ground. Her nerves were coming back, after not talking to him for the last few weeks. She twiddled with her thumbs and looked away, and saw Naruto and Sakura running through the snow towards them.

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura and naruto both yelled at the same time. "Hey Hinata!" yelled Naruto, smiling. Hinata blushed softly and forced a smile for him.

"He—hello N—N—Naruto-kun." she stuttered, continuing to give him that perfectly soft smile of hers. When she glanced at Sasuke, she noticed that his eyes were hard and he looked slightly angry. "Um...I really...sh—should be going n-now!" she stammered out, staggering backwards. She gave Sasuke one more pained gaze before dashing away.

"Hinata!" Sasuke yelled after her accidently. He hadn't meant to yell after her — he had meant to just leave her hanging like that. Let her go. He wasn't supposed to yell after the girl who had a crush on Naruto. He looked at his teammates — both of them had arched eyebrows and confused looks.

Then, within a second, he was chasing after the shy-girl.

"Hinata! Hinata!" he called after her, grabbing her arm. He saw her wince in pain and then, without thinking at all, pulled her into a tight hug. "You can't leave yet." he said, his voice hard. "I haven't seen you in two weeks, and suddenly you're back! I missed you — you can't just run away after saying three words!"

Hinata stood still in his arms for a few long second then spoke, still stuttering the words out. "Sasuke-kun. You...you're h–holding me. Wh—why are you hugging me?" her voice was strained, weak, hoarse. The fact that Sasuke replied surprised her.

"Because I can't bare to let you go. If I let go, I'm afraid I'll lose you forever."

The words shocked her. She shoved him — and shoved him hard, at that, stared at him for a few seconds, and then ran as fast as she could.

'No. No. No. No. No. No. NO!' Her thoughts screamed the one word to her again and again and she suddenly screamed out loud. "NO!" she yelled as loud as possible, grabbing the door knob and yanking the door open.

"Hinata-oneechan, what're you doing!" Hanabi called after her as Hinata raced up the stairs. She ignored her 9 year old sister to the best of her ability and slammed the door to her small room.

She fell on her bed and covered herself with blankets angrily, pulling the pillow over her head. She screamed into the sheets, muffling her voice. 'Dammit, dammit all. How could he! How could he?' her mind yelled, and hot tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Bastard..." she sobbed, curling up in a tight ball. "Fucking bastard."

He had been so warm...yet so, so, so cold. So painfully cold.

End Chap Three


	4. Chapter Four: Her Cold Cold

**AUGH! I keep forgetting to put stuff here like disclaimed and blah blah blah when I post it! GRR. So anyway...This is chapter four! I'm kind of hoping I'll get more reviews for this story, because I still have only five! But for those who did review, thanks! You own. Oh...and sorry about the characters being so OOC XD. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. The only thing that belongs to me is this plot, so yep. That's my disclaimed. :D **

**Enjoy chapter four!

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Chap Four — Her Cold...Cold.**

The next day, she woke up with bags under her eyes, dullness everywhere. She hadn't (obviously) slept well. Her eyes were drooping and when Hanabi did her daily challenge, she did worse than usual, barely even trying. She ate breakfast, dressed, then went back upstairs to curl under her blankets and stare into the nothingness.

"There's no reason to get depressed about this." Hinata said to herself under her breath, getting angry with her own way of handling things. "It was probably just a spur of the moment thing. I highly doubt that hug meant anything."

The smallest, weakest, voice in the back of her head spoke. Inner Hinata.

'Maybe it didn't mean anything to him, but it sure meant something to me.'

'WHAT!'

She could feel herself flinch at her own thoughts. 'I know that you think it meant nothing, but I think it meant everything' said the tiny voice. Hinata scowled at this annoying little truthful thing, hugging her knees tighter, trying to concentrate.

'Shut up. What would you know?' she snapped at herself.

'I am you. And you are me. So I guess I know as much as I do.'

It seemed Hinata had just confused herself.

Sighing, the Hyuga stood up, stared into the mirror, tugged impatiently on her lengthening hair, and sighed. 'Maybe I should talk to him.'

'That's the spirit.'

Twenty Minutes Later

After wrapping herself in warm clothes, including a warm wool scarf and jacket, Hinata walked outside and began pacing the streets. She was growing nervous. Sure, she knew where the Uchiha Estate was, but she also knew that Sasuke lived alone. His whole family had been killed, and he was the sole surviving member of his clan.

So, in order to calm herself, she paced back and forth a few streets away from the Estate.

'Just do it.'

'No way! What if he's not home?'

'All the easier! Just do it! He'll answer if he is! It's not like he's going to kill you, you know.'

'I suppose. But I'm just worried he's angry at me. I did run away kind of abruptly.'

'WHY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE COMING HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?'

'Fine...'

Slowly, Hinata walked down the snow covered road towards the Uchiha Estate. For a few calm moments of snow, she stood in front of the gates, and then slid down into the snow. "I can't do it." she murmured, leaning her head on the cold gates. She didn't even care if she froze to death. She couldn't pull together the courage to ring the bell. Mauling over her thoughts, she soon fell asleep in the snow, unaware that about an hour later, the person she had been waiting for came outside.

1 Hour Later

Sasuke had been staring at the girl for a many long minutes, watching her sleep. Hinata continuously shivered in her sleep, and Sasuke knew it was because of a cold. He sighed as he watched her. He was tired of waiting, but he didn't want to leave her side.

**Flashback**

**"It's still snowi—Hinata-san? Oh...Hinata? Are you alright? Ha! She fell asleep out here? Is she crazy?" Sasuke said, gently picking her up. "You'll catch a horrible cold if you stay out here much longer." he sighed to himself, before opening the door with his teeth and leading her inside. He then kicked the door closed.**

**The warmth of the house was made obvious as the snow in her hair and on her clothes began to melt. Sasuke carefully set the girl down on the gigantic couch in front of the fire and sat down in the arm chair.**

**'Why was she waiting outside?' he thought, clasping his hands together and leaning his elbows on his knees as he stared at her. 'It just seems strange, that after how I scared her yesterday she'd come back.'**

**Something inside of him squirmed and he swore under his breath, closing his eyes. 'I promised...after Itachi killed my family...I promised I'd never create ties with anyone. Because I never wanted to be hurt again. I can't break that promise with myself.'**

**Seeing her gentle face, her gentle, perfect eyes, it made him mad. Crazy. Mad with want. Crazed with need. He bit down hard on his tongue to keep a pained moan from escaping his pale lips.**

**End Flashback**

He still felt that way every time he saw her. She was nearly flawless, with her pale complexion, her white eyes contrasting amazingly against his black ones. Without a second thought, he slowly reached down and stroked her cheek.

He was barely surprised to feel how smooth and silky it felt. He continued to stroke her cheek, before gently moving his hand to her hair. His eyes softened as he touched the perfection, falling to his knees besides her.

"What's so different about you, Hinata? What makes me feel closer to you? What makes me want to touch you, hold you, so badly? You're really no different then Sakura, are you?" Sasuke whispered, mostly to himself as Hinata continued to sleep. "You're so beautiful. It's unfair." he continued, moving his face above hers. For a heartbeat, he kept his eyes on hers.

As if trying to touch a moth wing and not destroy it, Sasuke bent his face down and barely pressed his lips to her eyelid. The want inside of him was not a want that held hardcore passion. It was a want to make her happy, but at the same time be able to love her forever.

After kissing her eyelid, Sasuke stood sadly, and took a few steps backwards. He fell into the armchair again and buried his face into his hands, beginning to cry tears in silence.

She opened her eyes in the silence. Hinata felt horrible. Her eyes were crusty and she could barely open them. Her limbs felt heavy and she felt cold and shivery. She rubbed her eyes slowly and blinked a few times so that she could see the ceiling better. It most certainly wasn't her ceiling.

Closing the blankets tighter around her body, she rolled over slowly on the couch. The first thing she saw was the dark haired boy sitting in the armchair, crying. At first, Hinata just thought he was asleep. He sure looked it by his perfect stillness. Then she noticed the careful shaking of his body.

The urge to sniff came, but she didn't, and shakily stood, dropping to her knees besides him. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing her voice was hoarse and weak. She coughed into her elbow and then looked at him again.

"I'm sorry." she heard him whisper, but his voice cracked. She wanted to cradle him in her arms, sing him a lullaby, tell him it would all be alright soon.

"Sasuke, why are you sorry?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Because I know I'll just end up hurting you. Oh, Hinata. Hinata. You're so much different. I'm sorry. Yesterday, when I saw you, it just felt uplifting. Like meeting an old friend after so long. And I held you when I shouldn't have — but it's not that I didn't want to hug you. That was the best hug ever! Even though you pushed me away. Hinata, I'm so sorry."

Sasuke's explanation was long and confusing, and it made her sad, but she believed him at the same time.

"Sasuke, I believe that every person can find love. I don't believe in destiny, like Neji-niisan. I believe that everyone can change their destiny, and create their own. I don't believe in a fixed path. You can change your life. Sasuke...what do you believe is your path in life?" Hinata murmured.

'What am I talking about? Why am I asking him these questions? What does this have to do with anything?' she asked herself.

She was even more shocked when he replied.

"Hinata, I believe that there are many paths. Many different ways to go. You take a path at the beginning of your life, however your parents raise you. As life goes on, you learn to be able to make your own choices. I have two choices, Hinata." His voice was so serious, she was scared. But she hung onto his every word. "Kill Itachi, have my revenge...and be alone. Alone forever." His voice was shaky now. "Or...I could...I could give up...on my revenge. And I could live my life...next to you. Together forever."

Chap Four — End

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**DUN DUN DUN! I know, I'm horrible. XD I end over half of my chapters with cliffhangers! So...What'd you think of chapter four! I know, Sasuke's so out of character! Well...R&R please! x) I still have to type chapter five...Yeah! So...Yeah! Thanks everyone! hugs Hinata and Sasuke hugs everyone else **


	5. Chapter 5: His Cold Amazement

**Sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you guys aren't too impatient to read this chapter...It ends so originally. xD I'm so weird. ANYHOO -- has anyone besides me noticed the pattern in the chapter names? LMAO, I really am weird...and stupid.**

**Disclaimer: I dun own Naruto, obviously. I do own the plot, however, so leave it alone. Grr. I'm a BIG SCARY MONSTER! RAWR!

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Chap Five — His Cold Amazement

She was shocked. She couldn't move from the surprise. She finally spoke, but her voice cracked. "Sasuke — wha...?" This...couldn't possibly be happening. Sasuke hadn't just said that. It was impossible.

Hinata laughed without thinking. She didn't mean to, she just did. It didn't seem possible that Sasuke wasn't sure who to choose — her or Itachi. When she looked at him, however, she realized it wasn't a joke.

"I'm serious." Sasuke said in a hard voice. "I don't know. Hinata — I trust you. I haven't felt this close to someone since Itachi. I'm afraid though. I don't want to be hurt again." Sasuke murmured, reaching out to touch her cheek. She ruined the moment by sneezing at the ground.

Sasuke laughed. "Nice, Hinata." he grinned. "You're still sick. Rest, please. I feel like it's my fault since you were waiting for me." Sasuke said softly, kissing her forehead.

She felt her cheeks burn as she stared at the ground. "I–I'll just go home. Neji must be worried and I can't have him angry. I'm just going to go home and go to sleep there." she said, standing up, slightly wobbly. She was tugged back down by Sasuke.

"No."

His voice was so strict and harsh she couldn't help but straighten up, as if she was a soldier and him her commander. Hinata watched him for a few moments, doing her best not to start coughing all over his beautiful house.

"You're sick. If you go outside again you're sure to get into even worse condition." Sasuke said after a few minutes of silence. He knew it was just an excuse to keep her here, but he felt like she needed to stay. If he let her leave, she'd shatter, he could just feel it.

"F-fine." she said in a shaky voice, slouching over. She was too tired. She bent her head over and wrapped her arms around her hair and tried not to sob. Hinata's head was throbbing like crazy, and she couldn't stop herself from coughing weakly.

She heard Sasuke sigh, then felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Hinata couldn't help but hug him back, feeling vulnerable and sick. She hated it so much, as fever began to overtake her.

And she was cold. Even though Sasuke's house was heated, she was still freezing as fever burned into her. "Sasuke..." she moaned weakly, clinging to him. His arms were warm and gentle around her as he rocked her back and forth in her lap. Before she knew what was happening, she was crying.

"Why are you crying, Hinata?" Sasuke asked, continuing to rock.

"Because I'm scared..." she said in her perfectly gentle voice. Even sick, Sasuke could feel her beauty, somehow, somewhere.

"Of what?" he continued, putting his chin in her hair carefully.

"I'm afraid...that I'll love you."

His rocking stopped. Her tears stopped. It seemed impossible. He hadn't just heard her say that she was afraid he'd love him...had he? No, Sasuke hadn't been hearing things. Hinata was afraid that she'd fall in love with him.

"Is it really that scary?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady as he continued to rock in the shocking silence.

"Yes...Sasuke, I – it's too late. It's much too late for me to turn back. I don't know how it happened. Oh, Sasuke. Oh, Sasuke." She sobbed again and buried her head in his chest. For a few minutes, Hinata cried into Sasuke's chest, sobbing in the silent estate.

She finally looked up at him. He looked back down. Her cheeks were red and blotchy, from crying and from fever. The frightened look in her eyes didn't match her usual pale complexion, and the broken smile she'd often give people. Sasuke felt his heart throb — the girl in front of him had been broken, and she was nearly beyond repair.

And then she said a few words that rang through his mind for years afterwards. Usually, they'd seem like simple, gentle words, that caress and calm, instead of frighten. What she said was so beautiful.

"I love you."

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**Chap Five - End  
Chapter six will prolly be updated soon...this fic is gonna be shorter than I intended it to be...I really don't know what else to do! Anyhoo -- instead of just telling me to update, some ideas would be nice! Please? I won't reject anything, I promise. I'm a good person. (good guy Rock Lee pose)**

**Lee: HEY! YOU FUCKING POSE STEALER!  
Simmeh: AHH! I DUN WANNA DIE! (runs away)  
Lee: Heheh...comic relief. (good guy pose)  
SasuandHina: Oh...my...god.**

**I luff you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6: Her Cold Love

**Wow, I uploaded this chapter fast. And I _love_ this chapter. It ends really good, in my opinion...chapter seven'll be even sadder. I think...maybe it'll be happier. Haha, I'm so stupid. Anyway...enjoy the chapter I finished at 7 am in the morning!**

**WARNING - This is the chapter where 'mature' starts to take place...It'll be getting more 'rated M' soon, so, be forewarned. **

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto. I own the plot...that's all.

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Chapter Six - Her Cold Love

No one said anything after Hinata admitted her love to Sasuke. They both sat on there, Hinata on Sasuke's lap, in silence, for an hour until Hinata fell asleep. To Sasuke, this was a very frightening experience. Girls had proclaimed their love for him many times before, but it had never been real.

He felt numb, as he held her close to him, allowing her fever to soak away. Why had she just said that? It scared him so much, because he felt that deep inside, there were feelings, feelings that were the same. Feelings of caring — could it possibly be love?

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in. Everything seemed much more painful as he held onto her, wondering if she'd start crying in her sleep. He didn't understand why his heart was throbbing so hard — he thought he'd scream from the pain he was enduring.

But instead, he just continued to hold her in his lap, enjoying the last precious, beautiful moments he would spend with her for three years.

2 hours later

When Hinata woke up, she was rid of her fever, and seemed in a more positive mood. Sasuke vaguely wondered if she had been delirious when she had said that she loved him. It seemed like that theory made the most sense, since now she was smiling at him like it was a normal day. Maybe she couldn't remember a thing.

Or maybe she was just pretending.

"Hinata...Hinata-chan, look at me." Sasuke suddenly said, staring at the indigo haired girl. She turned around and blinked, confused. She had never been called Hinata-chan by Sasuke, and it surprised her.

"Y-Yes?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Sasuke had the urge to snap at her for stuttering, but held it back. It was most likely just a little stutter she had gotten from him surprising her. Everyone stammered now and then.

"Your smile seems fake. You remember what you told me, don't you?"

He watched her very carefully to see her reaction. At first she just looked a little stunned. Then the shock turned to embarrassment — whether it was from her bad acting, or from the fact of what she had said to him, Sasuke couldn't tell, but she was definately embarrassed.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun." she said softly, biting her lip as she stared at the floor. He didn't reply for a few moments, and just continued to observe her reaction. Her lavender eyes looked slightly sad, and her frowning face worried him.

"Well...you don't have to be so afraid." he murmured, standing up and walking next to her. Sasuke saw Hinata's eyes widen a bit in surprise, and tried not to smirk. He succeeded. But she was so cute, he had to smile. And so he did.

He then kissed her hair in the gentlest, kindest, way he could. But he kept his eyes open, too, as to check if she was blushing or not. Of course, she was. Her cheeks were now a delicate shade of pink, about the same color as Sakura's hair. She was so cute, it made him just laugh out loud.

"Hinata-chan..." — Sasuke continued to use the suffix at the end of her name for affect — "Do you know that I feel the same exact way? I didn't realize it before, Hinata-chan..." — He could see her blush grow stronger — "But I do love you. As much as you love me. Probably more."

Sasuke continued to watch her, waiting for a good reaction. He got one. She was staring at him with those faintly surprised eyes, her head tilted a bit to the side as she watched him. Her growing hair was perfect, in his eyes, and he wanted to hold onto her for as long as he ever could.

Then he kissed her. There was no reason to think about it, because there was nothing to think about. He just leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers. At first, Sasuke felt her retreat, but then Hinata melted, like ice in his palm, yet she didn't leave a cold aftermath. Maybe more like warming chocolate, so delicious you just lick it all up.

He then decided to go a bit further. He slid his tongue past her lips, which were open in welcome. It was difficult to be gentle with her, but Sasuke knew he would have to, or else she would shatter and fall apart. He massaged his tongue against hers, and felt her carefully doing the same to him. His stomach fluttered. His heart skipped a beat.

There was a soft 'thud' as the two of them fell onto the couch. Sasuke dragged his lips away from hers and onto her cheek, then to her ear, nibbling gently, then down to her chin, before whispering kisses across her neck. He could feel Hinata's heart beating so fast, as he carefully, as not to frighten her, rested his hand in the crook of her back, underneath her shirt.

Hinata gasped even louder at this, but she didn't resist. At first, Sasuke thought it was his cue to go, but then she did resist. Quickly, she jumped up and staggered away from him. He stared up at her, and was shocked to see her near tears.

"I—I'm sorry!" Hinata cried out, before turning and running out the door.

That was the last time he saw her for three years.

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**Chapter seven will be after a time skip to when 'all' of them are 17. (Except for Tenten, Lee, and Neji, who are barely even in this fic...) **

**Thank you, loyal readers, and new ones I hope who will come! **


	7. Chapter 7: His Cold Memories

**WEWT! It's time-skip time! That sounds awkwards! Yup, so this chapter (and the rest of 'em) take place three years later...thanks for the reviews! Positives make me feel special. Ends with a 'plot-twist' thing, since I can't call it a cliffhanger.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, only own plot...cha...

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Chapter Eight - His Cold Memories

Three Years Later

It was a beautiful winter day, and the snow flakes were large and fluffy, getting in his dark hair before melting. Sasuke Uchiha shook his head to rid himself of the snowflakes and then stared at the sky. He dug his hands deep inside his pockets, then hid his chin under his scarf to keep warm.

"Sasuke-kun!" came two yells in unison. He turned his head, allowing a gust of cold wind to rush onto his face. Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were both running towards him, waving mittened hands in too much excitement.

"What?" he said, watching them with dark eyes.

"Let's go get RAMEN!" Naruto yelled loudly. Sasuke winced. They were in the middle of a public street, and he felt there was no reason for Naruto to be yelling out his demand for ramen.

"Yeah, come on Sasuke-kun." said Sakura with a smile as she took Naruto's hand loosely in hers. Sasuke was silent for a moment, as he watching the two of them holding hands like the perfect couple. He felt his stomach clench as Naruto kissed Sakura's brow and she giggled.

The two had been dating for a few months, and it was hard to stay around them while they were like this. But he worried mostly that they would break up and that they'd never be friends again. It would ruin the teamwork they'd gone so far to get.

That wasn't the reason his stomach clenched, however. He just was given back a few memories from a few years ago. Sasuke wished in his mind that he could be holding the Hyuga's hand and laughing with her, kissing her hair and telling her she was beautiful, just like she was.

Sasuke missed Hinata. Ever since she had run away from him those three years ago when they were 14, he hadn't seen her. Or any of her teammates. He had asked Neji what had happened to her, and he had told Sasuke that they had gone on a mission that would take them a lot longer than most. Sasuke had just nodded, trying to hide that he cared a lot. But he could tell Neji had noticed. Somehow.

"Fine..." he said finally. "Ramen. Let's go get some." he said, nodding. Naruto and Sakura grinned at him, before each of them took one of his hands. They were in a circle of hand-holding, his two teammates grinning and skipping around as they dragged Sasuke in the circle dance.

"Quit, guys!" he snapped, but laughed anyway. He couldn't help but be brightened up by his best friends. Even if he didn't make it obvious, they were important to him, and he cared deeply about both of his teammates.

"Ra-men, ra-men, I love RAMEN!" Naruto sang to the sky, before pulling himself down onto the ground, which made Sakura and Sasuke fall along with him. Lucky for Sakura, Naruto grabbed her before she could hit the ground.

Doof. Sasuke hit the snow on his bottom, and a very uncomfortable cold feeling overcame his anger. "Oh damn..." he murmured, standing and brushing himself off. "Come on, let's just hurry and get the ramen."

"SASUKE-KUN!!"

He turned around on his heel — actually, they all did — to see three figures coming closer. Two of them were running. A girl with lavender tinted eyes and long indigo hair, and a boy with a hood and two red marks on his cheeks. They were running, and another boy, with dark brown hair, dark glasses, a hood, and a collar, was walking.

"SASUKE-KUN!" the girl yelled again, now very close to him. She flung her arms around him, tackling Sasuke to the ground. He didn't resist as he wrapped his arms around Hyuga Hinata and hugged her back.

They laughed and rolled around in the snow for a few minutes until they realized that it was quiet besides their laughter.

Hinata sat up first, and Sasuke followed suit. He glanced to Hinata to see her cheeks were flushing pink. He looked at the others.

Sakura and Naruto were blinking continuously, obviously in shock that their teammate could possibly roll around in snow. With anyone, but especially a girl. A girl like Hinata, if you wanted to get specific.

Kiba didn't seem to care, as Hinata walked over to him and Shino and he kissed her forehead lightly. Sasuke frowned as he kissed her, then wrapped his arms around her in a hug from behind. Normally, he'd have gotten mad. But Hinata was not resisting. She seemed to be enjoying Kiba's touch, as if he was – no, it wasn't possible. Kiba could not be her lover. He wouldn't allow it.

But it all seemed too obvious.

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**And then they all exploded, the end. Hope you enjoyed. I know, I'm SO original. (laughs at self)**


	8. Chapter 8: Her Cold Tears

Shortest Chapter I've written today, but everybody seems to want to know what happened...I'll be updating Blooming Flower soon, and TemaShika is on its way! I promise! So, enjoy this short, not well written chapter...

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naru-chan or his friends. i.i

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Chapter Eight — Her Cold Tears

Sasuke stared for a few long moments. Then his vision became blurred, and he realized tears were stinging his eyes. He could only turn. And then run. At top speed, he raced, towards the Uchiha Estate, unable to stop the salty tears flooding from his eyes and freezing on his cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata murmured gently as she saw him run. She pushed herself away from Kiba, who didn't seem to care, and took a few steps. Sakura and Naruto were still looking around wildly, totally lost and unsure.

Then Shino spoke. "I think I know what's wrong with Sasuke-san. He thinks that you and Kiba..." he trailed off, unsure of how to speak about it, since he never really talked, let alone about this kind of stuff.

Kiba turned pink. Hinata was startled, and blushed as well, taken aback. "Why would he think – oh SHIT!" Everybody was surprised as Hinata swore loudly, and Naruto snorted, and then started coughing, which led Sakura to lean next to him and thump him on the back.

"But I just hugged her..." Kiba said, rubbing his forehead anxiously. "I mean, she's my friend..."

Through his coughing, Naruto pointed out – "Seemed pretty — coughhack — intimate to me!"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped, wacking him on the head. "Be a little more sympathetic! Hinata-chan's freaked!" Sakura hissed, so that only Naruto could hear her.

"Why? It's just Sasuke! No big deal about that jerk!" Naruto hissed back. Seeing Sakura's scowl made him laugh, and he hugged her, pulling the girl upon his lap.

"I — I have to s-see him! I-I-I've m-m-m-made a horrible...mistake." Hinata whimpered, before beginning to run after Sasuke. "SASUKE-KUN!!!" she yelled, trying to catch up with him. She failed, for when she had finished yelling his name, a door slammed, and she knew why, she knew whose door it was.

"Sasuke! Sasuke-kun!" she yelled as she began pounding on the Uchiha State door. "Please LISTEN to me!" Hinata called in a strained shout, tears in her eyes. "SASUKE!"

The boy was not listening to her, however. He was walking down the stairs, towards the basement. He closed the basement door and then slid down it. Sasuke's eyes were wide and frightened, and he couldn't hear anything but the banging on the door.

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**That's it for this chapter! Yes, so I cleared that up...I suck so bad! **


	9. Chapter 9: His Cold Hatred

**Okay, Sasuke goes a bit crazy in this chapter, be prepared...Ha, everything's falling apart! I'm a horrible person. But I have a promise to make! IT WILL END SASUHINA! ITA WILL NOT DIE! Because Ita ROCKS. Can't kill him, nopers. Kiba won't die either, by the way...anyway, enjoy this chapter. I wrote this in a pretty bad mood, so it's a very depressing chapter, and probably full of mistakes.

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Chapter Nine - His Cold Hatred

'This isn't right.' Hinata thought, continuing to bang her fist on the door. 'Sasuke-kun wouldn't just leave me hanging like this...would he?' she asked herself, then she remembered the last time she had seen him. When she was left him. All alone. Alone again.

Tears sprang to her eyes and Hinata began to sob. "Sasuke-kun...oh Sasuke, I'm so sorry." she whimpered, crying in front of his house. "I never meant...oh. Oh."

"Sasuke...I really never wanted to hurt you. Please believe me!" she whispered to herself, grabbing the doorknob. She jiggled with it and sighed her relief when it opened.

Slowly, Hinata stood up and opened the door all the way. Sasuke was no where in sight. She couldn't hear anything, and was afraid. What if — ? No, he wouldn't do that. It wasn't that big of a deal...no. She wouldn't let that happen.

"Sasuke?" she called, biting her lip hard. "Sasuke-kun?" She continued to hear nothing.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was still sitting in the basement, his entire body shaken. He couldn't hear anything anymore. Then he stood, and walked over to the place where he remembered his parents' bodies lying. Where he had seen Itachi, staring at him with those gleaming eyes.

He walked past this place, and over to a shelf. Pictures cluttered it, a few set down so that the photos were out of view. Sasuke set one upright to see a picture of him and Itachi. Itachi was giving him a piggyback ride and smiling, and Sasuke was a small boy, laughing at the camera, not knowing that his older brother was planning on killing his family in just a few weeks.

Slowly, Sasuke pushed the picture back down. "I've had enough. Two people...have done it. Itachi killed them all...and Hinata broke my heart. I wanted to kill him, but what's the point...?" he said to himself in a shaky voice. He was losing. Slowly, slowly falling down, down to hell.

Two tears finally slid down his cheeks. "I just don't know what to do." he said to himself.

"Then I'll help. Sasuke, please, let me explain."

Sasuke whirled around to stare at Hinata. He flinched away from her and glared. "What do you want...?" he snarled, the sudden anger and the un-broken Sasuke back from Hell.

"Sasuke-kun, listen to me." the indigo haired girl whispered, her soft voice cracking. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"LIAR! LITTLE BITCH! TRAITOR! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER...never again..." Sasuke's anger melted into sobs as he fell to his knees and clutched his head. "I'll never...never trust anyone...ever again." His black eyes were wide and in incredible pain and he shook with horror. Never again. Never ever never.

"Sasuke-kun..." Hinata murmured, falling to her knees. Her lavender eyes were broken. Her heart cracked down the middle, and she screamed in inner pain. "NO!" She couldn't breathe. Her heart felt like it had stopped, her chest was aching so hard, her head cracking as she screamed longer and harder. Her voice broke and her scream disappeared.

Hinata fainted, her body falling to the ground weakly. And in the silence, Sasuke continued to cry, tears that contained the pain of loss and love, and all of the suffering. All of the suffering, from the past and present, and the future soon to come. He was finally letting it all out. His feelings that he had held inside for all these years were being pushed to the surface, exposed to the cold winter air.

"I have to kill...them both. Both of them need to die." Sasuke whispered. He stood up and his legs and arms continued to shake violently. His crazed eyes turn down the Hinata and he carefully took her body in his arms. Weakly, he pressed his lips against hers.

"I'll kill them both." he promised himself, walking up the stairs, out of the house, down the road that led out of the Uchiha Estate.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura and Naruto both yelled as Sasuke neared them holding Hinata. Sakura flinched away to see his wide, mad eyes, and Hinata's body limp in his arms.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Naruto whispered, staring at them. Kiba rushed forwards at once to check on his teammate, but Sasuke growled and dropped her before he could make a second move.

"Hinata-chan!" cried Naruto, grabbing her before she hit the ground. Hinata made a whimper in her unconsciousness and Naruto stared at her in shock. He could tell, just by her completely ruined body, that she was hurt on the inside, not the outside. Torn up. What had Sasuke done to her?

But before anyone could answer the question — before he could even ask it — Sasuke had leapt at Kiba. Kiba barely dodged the chunin's quick moves, and Akamaru began snarling angrily, standing.

"Sasuke?!" said Kiba, confused as the boy glared. "What — oh fuck! SASUKE! What the hell are you doing?" Kiba snapped, ducking away from a kick that Sasuke aimed for his face. "Akamaru! Help me!" cried the boy with marks on his cheeks, and Akamaru leapt at Sasuke.

THUD. Sasuke hit Akamaru hard in the chest with his fist, sending the dog falling backwards and whimpering like a lost pup.

"I'm going to kill you! And Itachi too! AND THEN I'LL DIE! AND BRING HINATA DOWN WITH ME!" Sasuke screamed at Kiba. Kiba's eyes widened in fright. He knew how strong Sasuke was, and that if he didn't get away he'd be in for a beating. Death, most likely. Sasuke wasn't normal. Something had gone horribly wrong at his house.

"NO, SASUKE!" yelled Sakura, running forwards. She spread her arms out to cover Kiba, her eyes shining with tears. "Don't let this anger overcome you! You were just fine a few minutes ago!" she said, her voice wavy. "Please, don't kill Kiba-kun." she murmured, taking a step towards the boy she had once crushed on.

"Sakura-chan, be care...ful." Naruto started, trailing off slightly. Sasuke was crying again. Tears rushed down his cheeks like waterfalls, and Naruto could almost feel his heart breaking at his best friend's pain. "Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke dropped to his knees and curled up, continuing to sob. Slowly, slowly, everything seems to fall apart. They were losing the pieces, and nothing would ever be the same.

"Sasuke-kun." Both Naruto and Sakura fell besides their teammate and held him while he cried. What else were they meant to do in a situation like this? Sasuke needed their help. He might not have known or understood, but he would soon. Perhaps. Life might decide to just fall apart right in front of their eyes.

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**I just re-read this and am nearly in tears...I hate Sasuke, but at the moment, I feel so bad for him. Oh, poor Hinata. Why the hell am I writing this fic?!**

**Anyway, I'll update soon...I can't help it, this is my PASSION! WRITING IS MY PASSION! Rock Lee fire eyes**

**Lee: You stole my...idea...thing! YOUTH!  
Tenten and Neji: Oh my.  
Neji: Did he get to the sake again?  
Sakura: ...Probably. **

**Sayonara till tomorrow...most likely! Haha, thanks for reading. **


	10. Chapter 10: Heaven and Hell Decide

**At the end of this chapter, I decided to randomly add some song lyrics for 'I Will Follow You Into The Dark'...Don't ask. This chapter brought me near tears, for some reason, so enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naru

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Chapter Ten — Her Cold Uncertainty

'What's going on in his head? Sasuke seems so freaked out...it's like he can't even hear us.' Naruto thought, frowning at his friend. Sasuke wasn't moving at all, but just breathing in rattling breaths. Both Sakura and Naruto could tell he was calming down though.

"Sasuke-kun...Sasuke...kun..." came a weak voice. Naruto and Sakura turned their heads to see Hinata, who was forcing herself to sit up. Hinata was clutching her side and panting heavily, one eye half-closed in pain.

Sasuke's head shot up at once when she spoke. His wide eyes stared at her, his expression wild. Circles had started forming under his eyes from so many tears, and his face was red and blotchy, tear stained.

Slowly, the boy stood. No one had any idea what was about to happen besides him. No one could see his black eyes turn red, and the extra black pupils start spinning. The only time they knew something was wrong was when his hand started to crackle, and the sound of tweeting birds filled the cold winter air.

There were surprised murmurs from the crowd of people who were walking by. No one had paid much attention before n ow, seeing that a fight was beginning. Then, Sasuke lifted his head. His eyes spun and he lifted his hand, the chidori still sparkling.

"Sasuke." said Hinata softly. A single tear ran down from her left eyes and she closed her eyes, standing up straight. 'I'd rather die like this than in any other way.' she told herself, taking in a deep breath. 'It'll all be okay soon.'

Sasuke was running towards her, there was no hesitation.

"RASENGAN!" yelled Naruto, and in amazing speed he started to collect his chakra to his left hand by use of his right. The ball of chakra flashed as he leapt in front of Hinata and punched his palm forwards.

There was a small explosion as the two amazing techniques touched and interacted with the other, and then disappeared. Sasuke and Naruto were both panting, their palms touching.

"Sakura, get Tsunade-sama!" Naruto called.

"Hai, Naruto-kun!" said Sakura, before turning and running towards the fifth Hokage's office at top speed.

Naruto knew that Tsuande was the only one who could cure both Hinata and Sasuke. Each of them were in a horrible state, broken on the inside and torn on the outside as well.

"Sasuke..." Hinata whispered again. "I'm sorry. It's not like that...Kiba and I are only teammates...you have to...believe me." she said in a shaky voice, which cracked as she gasped from pain.

Naruto spun around to see her clutching her side again. It was bleeding hard, and it was not the nicest wound he'd ever seen. "Dammit..." Naruto mumbled, taking Hinata's arm gently and helping her sit in the snow. "Stay still, Hinata-chan. Tsuande-sama'll be here soon, I promise." he murmured, resting her head in his lap so that she would be warmer.

"Thank you...Naruto-kun..."

Two Hours Later

"Will Sasuke be okay?!"

"I'm more worried about Hinata, what the hell happened?!"

"Sasuke-kun—"

"Oh, poor Hinata-chan!"

"I'm worried about them both, what in the seven hells happened?!"

Temari's voice broke all the arguments and everyone was quiet. It was a question that was difficult to answer, especially for anyone who had been there. But Temari had a stubborn look in her eye, and her brother's just hung back. You could tell they were curious too, however, by the way Gaara and Kankuro frowned.

"It's a long story, Temari-chan." said Sakura softly. Shikamaru spoke up at once.

"Who cares? Temari and I both wanna know, so tell us!" he snapped, standing next to Temari, who glanced at him with a small smile. He grinned back.

"Sasuke made a mistake. He misread the actions of Kiba and Hinata and went overboard. All the feelings that he's been keeping inside were let out — thank God

they finally got out, he probably would have literally died from the inside out if he hadn't screamed his feelings to everyone."

Sakura was first to turn her head, because she had been about to tell a lie to them all. She watched her sensei sadly and then nodded at the crowd. Naruto nodded with them, watching the Fifth Hokage from the corner of his eye in wonderment.

The waiting room burst into murmurs again, everyone scared and surprised at the same time. No one had ever heard of Sasuke making a mistake, let alone letting everything out.

"So will he be okay?" That was everyone's question.

In the hospital room

Hinata lay awake, breathing in an out slowly, to try and dull the throbbing pain. Her wounds were healed, but it was impossible to heal the wound to the heart she had just suffered. Hinata closed her eyes, trying not to think, but to just focus on the pain and let it all rush out.

Carefully, hoping she wouldn't injure herself doing so, Hinata turned her head to look at the bed next to her. Sasuke was awake, staring at the ceiling, his expression blank. He noticed her stare, and tilted her head to look at her.

"What can I say...?" he asked her warily. "I'm sorry."

When he spoke those words, she felt the tears jump to her eyes. "Sasuke-kun?" she said in a soft voice, before turning her own stare back to the white hospital ceiling.

**If heaven and hell**

"Yes, Hinata-chan?"

**Decide that they both are satisfied**

"Can I tell you something?"

**Then I will**

"Anything."

**Follow you**

" I really do love you. Really."

**Into the dark.

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Yuss, that's the end up chapter ten...I hope you enjoyed. Chapter two of my ShikaTema story will be up soon...and if you haven't already checked it out, I'd be really greateful if you did! And HinaNeji as well. Please? I'd love you forever!

Sayonara, until the next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11: A Memory Held Dear To Me

**Okay, this is the last chapter. In my opinion, it's a very gentle chapter, with the least original ending ever. But I really did enjoy writing this fanfic, and I'm greatful for all of you guys reviewing this story! I wish Blooming Flower was as popular. But Blooming Flower was my first fic, so it's not the best...this is my first completed story that I've posted...I have completed SakuNaru, SakuIta, and HinaNeji as well, however, they're in a notebook I'm too lazy to pick up. Anyway...Again, thanks for the love! You guys rock

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Chapter Eleven — A Memory - Forever Held Dear To Me

"Are you sure you're alright, Hinata-chan?" said Sasuke in a overly worried voice. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Sasuke, I really am fine, you have to believe me. I barely got wounded, and I heal quickly." she said to him, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. "Come on, you can make up for your mistakes by believing me." she murmured, kissing his forehead.

Sasuke looked down and bit his lip. "I still feel guilty. After all of that...uh, fuck." He rubbed his arm nervously. Suddenly, Hinata giggled. His nervousness, his gentleness, he made her smile.

"It's alright, Sasuke-kun. I think I understand what's wrong. So don't worry." Hinata said, her smile continuing to be gentle. She then slowly wrapped her arms around the boy in a comforting hug.

Sasuke grasped her back, allowing Hinata's warmth to comfort him. It was much more than he deserved, and he knew that. She was more that he deserved. Deep in his heart, the guilt was killing him. He felt like he deserved to be dead, to just go to hell, or to suffer for the rest of his life, but suffer alone, without her there to help him.

"Thank you, Hinata. Really." Sasuke said as he gently pulled her against him tighter. "You feel so warm, and it's helped me. I don't understand. I'm not worthy of your love, I'm really not." he said in a shaky voice.

"But I love you out of my own choice. Whether you are worthy or not isn't the point. It's what I decide. And if you accept it or not. Are you saying you won't accept me?" she asked, her voice dancing with teasing-ness.

Sasuke turned a pale pink and shook his head violently. "Of course I'd accept you! If I didn't, I'd be the most stupid person ever! I'm just glad that...any of this happened. You've changed my life so much."

Hinata gave her same gentle smile, the kind of smile that could leave you heart-broken even though she was happy.

"I'm glad." she told him. "You've changed my life too. There are things I regret, but altogether, I'd never want to go back or change anything that's happened. Except maybe..." Hinata trailed off and looked down sadly, weakly. Sasuke bit his lip, frightened that she might be hurting. He was afraid to ask her what she would have changed, as well, feeling it had something to do with him.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I won't get mad at your or anything." Sasuke told her gently as he lifted her cheek. He watched her with intent eyes, prepared to smile if she said she'd rather not tell him.

"I want to say it, though." Hinata sighed, rubbing her arm and crossing her legs nervously. Sasuke laughed out loud. She was acting so natural, like a school-girl, in the middle of a hospital hallway with them both in white gowns (heheh, you can see Sasuke's underwear xD).

He continued to smile at her, and watch Hinata blush. "If you want to say it, then tell me! If it's something you want me to know, then I'm prepared. Come on, I won't bite you...too hard."

Sasuke smirked as he watched her already pink cheeks brighten even more. He had been awaiting a time to use that phrase, just so he could watch her cute blush. It was something he loved about her, something else that could bring light into the darkness. Something to make him smile.

"Truly, I regret — I regret leaving you those three years ago." At first, Hinata started out slowly, then she blurted the whole thing out, staring at the hospital tile. "I'm so sorry."

Sasuke was shocked. He had excepted it to be something dramatic — either that, or incredibly stupid, like she would have regretted falling on him and into the snow during one of their first encounters. But he didn't expect her to regret leaving him that one night when she had been sick, when he had first realized he had loved her.

"That's...nothing to be sorry about." he said in a shaking voice. It was shaking with shock, not anger or fright, just surprise. Sasuke frowned and ran a hand through his hair before biting his lip and rolling his shoulders. "I probably just surprised you and you were scared...if anything, it's my fault, something I should regret." he mumbled.

"No, Sasuke! I was happy! I know it seems weird...I mean, yes, I was shocked, and a bit scared, but not of you. I regret leaving, because if I hadn't left, maybe we would've been able to settle things on better terms, and none of those would have happened. Then we wouldn't be in this horrible situation." Hinata murmured, stroking Sasuke's cheek with a soft hand.

"I'm scared, Sasuke-kun. Because what if—?" She was cut off by something soft, something warm. Sasuke had his finger to her lips in a 'sh' warning.

"Don't say any of that. Because we can't worry about the future now. All that matters is the present. And to me, that means that you're the only thing that matters." Sasuke explained, leaning down a bit to rest his forehead on hers. His black eyes stared into her lavender ones and he saw the slight surprise, yet happiness from his words.

"I'll always be with you, okay?"

"Yes. And I'll...I'll always be with you!"

Both of their voices were hushed, but still caring, loving and strong, something hard to pull off at a moment like this. This was a moment neither of them would ever forget, as he leaned down a bit further, and she lifted her chin to allow him easier contact.

For the first of many loving times, their lips touched.

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**The End**


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